Lorre receives Ustinov Award at Banff

Prolific author and professional producer Chuck Lorre can get the Mister Peter Ustinov Comedy Award within the approaching Banff World Media Festival. Lorre, whose current condition of CBS shows -- "two and a half Males," "The Big Bang Theory" and "Mike & Molly" -- are hits, relies at Warner Bros. His previous series include "Sophistication Under Fire," "Dharma & Greg," "Roseanne" and "Cybill." Director James Burrows, who's a longtime friend of Lorre since the two have labored together for several years, received the Ustinov recognition a year ago. The fest, that's situated inside the Canadian Rockies featuring plenty of TV talent, runs June 10-13. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Kristin Chenoweth Responds to ABC's 'GCB' Debate

Despite handling a title overhaul, ABC's new "GCB" remains shrouded in debate over the actual way it signifies Christian followers.The show initially was titled "Good Christian Bitches," following a Kim Gatlin novel that inspired it, then re-named to "Good Christian Belles" and finally for the text-friendly acronym. Nonetheless its over-the-top depiction of Dallas society which is chapel ladies probably will worry detractors."In my opinion people ought to provide an chance,Inch Kristin Chenoweth, who plays secondary school outcast-switched-full bee Carlene Cockburn, notifies "The Hollywood Reporter." "You just can't judge the sunday paper by its cover. I certainly wouldn't do just about anything which will poker fun at my own, personal belief. Situation chocolate cake, and it becomes an appreciation letter to Dallas."Getting developed Christian in Oklahoma, the Tony-winning actress and singer states she relates towards the series' portrayals."I believe that it is funny," she states. "From the maturing, it absolutely was always the identical lady who got the solos inside the chapel choir. And there's always the woman within the bake purchase or perhaps the chapel dinner who preferred to outcook everyone. The simple truth is, due to the fact you're a Christian does not necessarily mean you're perfect.""Many of us are human," she is constantly on the condition. "And therefore this show shows the humanity from this, which i love it. I'm one of these simple. I had been elevated because world. It could occur in the temple, in the community, but we just set ours in the chapel." The Hollywood Reporter

South america Identity Crook Arrested Using Fake ID With Photo of Jack Nicholson

File under bonehead move during the day: A 41-year-old guy in Recife, South america was arrested and billed with using false documents and falsification of public document as he attempted to spread out a banking account with numerous fake IDs in the possession, including one having a photograph of Jack Nicholson. Based on Globo.com (through the Daily What), the accused was trying to spread out a free account within the title of 1 John Pedro dos Santos when government bodies caught on. "There's no resemblance between your suspect and actor," notes the first report. Closer inspection pegs the photo as Nicholson's 2003 portrait by acclaimed digital photographer Martin Schoeller, released within the pages of EW years back... so a minimum of the man's got good taste? [Globo through the Daily What]

Charlotte now Chapel forms phone-hacking suit

LONDON -- Charlotte now Chapel, who told a U.K. media inquiry to be hounded by Rupert Murdoch's journalists when she would be a teen singing sensation, received 600,000 pounds ($951,000) Monday inside a settlement from News Worldwide and stated she'd been sickened in what she discovered invasion into her private existence. Chapel was present at London's High Court for that reading through of the statement solving her declare that 33 articles within the now defunct News around the globe tabloid were the merchandise of journalists unlawfully hacking into her family's voice mails. Outdoors court, Chapel stated: "What I have found because the lawsuit went on has sickened and disgusted me. Nothing was considered not allowed by individuals who went after me and my loved ones, just to earn money for any multinational news corporation." The settlement to Chapel includes 300,000 pounds ($476,000) in legal costs along with a public apology but Chapel stated she didn't believe News International's apology was sincere. "I've also learned that regardless of the apology that the newspaper just succumbed court, these folks were prepared to visit any measures to avoid me subjecting their behavior," she stated. She added: "They aren't truly sorry. They're just sorry they were given caught." Lawyers for Chapel, 26, and her parents, James and Maria, confirmed that terms have been agreed with News around the globe writer News Group Newspapers. News Worldwide, a division of Murdoch's News Corp., has attempted difficult to keep phone hacking cases from likely to trial. It's released its very own compensation program, overseen with a respected former judge, and it has compensated out millions in out-of-court pay outs for around 60 cases including one introduced by actor Jude Law, comedian Steve Coogan, former soccer star Paul Gascoigne and actress Sienna Burns. Judge Geoffrey Vos has stated News Worldwide had made "superhuman efforts to stay every situation." The legal cases stem from facts of phone-hacking along with other illegal tactics in the News around the globe, where journalists routinely intercepted voice mails of individuals making the news inside a relentless look for scoops. Murdoch closed the 168-year-old tabloid in This summer among a wave of public revulsion over its 2002 interception of voice mails owned by military services weapons 13-year-old girl, Milly Dowler, who had been later found killed. Murdoch and the company compensated millions towards the Dowler family. The scandal has created three parallel police research along with a U.K. judge-brought inquiry into media ethics, where Chapel spoke from the intense, frequently overwhelming, media invasion into her family's private existence. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

J.J. Abrams And Paramount Extend First-Look Deal Through End Of 2015

EXCLUSIVE: I’ve just learned that JJ Abrams and his Bad Robot production banner partnered with EVP Bryan Burk are one of, and perhaps the, most important relationships at Paramount. So this is no surprise. But betcha the terms were rich indeedto extend their first-look deal through the end of 2015. The deal dates back to 2006. Grosses on Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol are now $670M globally while those for the Star Trek reboot hit $385M worldwide. Abrams is right now shooting the Star Trek sequel which he’s producing and directing. Under the Paramount deal, Abrams also has made Cloverfield (producing) and Super 8 (producing and directing), both of which did well at the global box office.

'Safe House' tops holiday B.O.

'Safe House'Despite three new entries, holdovers dominated the President's Day weekend box office.Altered just slightly from Sunday's estimates, Universal's No. 1-ranking "Safe House" tallied a projected $28.4 million over the long President's Day weekend vs. an earlier estimated $28.5 million four-day take."Safe House," which fell only 41% using a three-day comparison in its second frame, swapped places with last weekend's domestic B.O. champ, Sony's "The Vow." That pic, from Screen Gems and Spyglass Entertainment, tallied a revised estimated $26.6 million through Monday, down a tick from the studio's $27.4 million four-day estimate released on Sunday."The Vow" still is ahead cumulatively, with $88.5 million domestically; "Safe House" has tallied so far $82.6 million.In third place, Warner Bros.-New Line's solid family pic "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" grossed an estimated $26.4 million through Monday. Pic's three-day take, at $19.9 million, repped a drop of just 27% compared to the pic's debut tally last weekend. "Journey 2" has cumed $59.5 million domestically.Among the weekend's newcomers, Sony's "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" fared best. The film grossed in four days a slightly higher estimate of $25.7 million vs. $25.5 million. "Ghost Rider," co-financed by Hyde Park for a reported $57 million, debuted at 3,174 Stateside locations, of which 2,352 (or 74%) were in 3D. The format contributed 65% of the weekend gross.Fox's action comedy "This Means War" bowed this weekend, performing in line with (if not a tad above) most industry expectations with $20.4 million over the long holiday.Meanwhile, Disney's Studio Ghibli toon "The Secret World of Arrietty," based on kids classic "The Borrowers," grossed a projected $8.1 million -- a softer four-day take than some expectations. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

Shawn Levy Talks New Frankenstein

Monster(s) will be mo-capVarious Frankenstein projects have been coming together on the operating table in recent years; two have had the necessary surge of studio power to help them rise up; and Real Steel director Shawn Levy has just been talking to Collider about the one that belongs to him.Broad details about Max Landis' screenplay have already emerged, not least from Landis himself. The Chronicle writer explained in a great interview with Shock last year that he's attempted to coherently combine elements from Mary Shelley's original novel, and from the unwieldy subsequent Frankenstein mythologies that have built up over the years. His story is from the point-of-view of Igor, who 'everyone knows' is Frankenstein's hunchback lab assistant... except that he isn't, and kind of never was. Check out Shock's interview for the full history...So the big reveal from Levy is not the story but the approach: his monster will be achieved with the same technology that brought the Real Steel robots to life."My whole approach with Frankenstein is based on a mo-cap SimulCam playback," Levy explains (if "explains" is quite the word). "I'll go to Europe, shoot the movie, do scenes with the real actors and I'll be able to see the motion-captured monster in real time due to SimulCam.It's not a dude with scars on his face. It's not just kind of latex and a costume; it will be a motion-capture performance of the monster, and I can give away maybe not too much by saying there's more than one monster in our version."Levy says that, rather than causing a potential problem per se, Stuart Beattie's I, Frankenstein, adapted from Kevin Grevoux's comics and starring Aaron Eckhart, has made Fox raise their game."I, Frankenstein is a wildy different movie to ours," says Levy (it's a modern-day story that casts the monster as a hero in a war between clans of immortals), "but in the culture it's another Frankenstein movie, and it's gonna come out next year. So if anything, that movie has kind of raised the bar for the studio and I to cast the living hell out of our Frankenstein. Everyone now knows, because people have seen Chronicle,that Max Landisis a hell of a goddamn writer and his script for Frankensteinis awesome.We've gotta make sure we cast it really, really right, and so that's the moment we're in right now."There's no start date yet, but while you're waiting, make sure you catch Chronicle while it's still in cinemas.